Fecal pouch



L. FENTON May 28, 1968 FECAL POUCH Filed OCT'. 2l, 1965 INVENTOR.

aA/Apo /rfA/ron/ United States Patent O 3,385,293 FECAL POUCH Y LeonardFenton, Beachwood, Ohio f (5156 Richmond Road, Bedford, Ohio 44014)Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 500,140 5 Claims. (Cl. 12S-283) ABSTRACT0F THE DISCLOSURE A fecal pouch for-med of flexible plastic materialwhich is permeable to fecal matter. The front and back walls eachinclude two layers of the flexible material with the inner layer deninga fecal cavity and the inner and outer This invention relates generallyto medical appliances and more particularly to fecal pouches orreceptacles. Such pouches are used with ileostomy and colostomyappliances and other appliances for the collection of body excretions.

In order to successfully perform the function fecal pouches must beconstructed so that they cause a minimum of discomfort to the user,prevent odor and provide a sanitary receptacle.

In the past it has been customary to form such fecal pouches of flexibleplastic materia-l, such as vinyl plastic. However, even though such`material is generally considered to be impervious it has been found thatthe pouches eventually discolor and commence to pass an odor even whenthey areremptied and cleaned at regular intervals. The useful life ofsuch prior art pouches varies to a considerable degree from user to userbecause dif- `ferent people have different body chemistry. Also theuseful life of a pouch depends on the care given it by the user.However, such prior art pouches generally have had a useful life ofabout two to three days, after which the pouch fai-led to satisfactorilyperform its function and had to be discarded. Previous attempts toextend the useful life of such fecal pouches by increasing the thicknessof the material forming the pouches have resulted in only slightimprovements in the useful life and have not been satisfactory becausethe increased thickness of .the material causes the pouch to 'be stifferand uncomfortable to the user.

A fecal pouch incorporating the present invention is formed with adouble wal-led structure having a completely sealed air space betweenthe inner and outer walls of the pouch. It has been found that fecalpouches incorporating the present invention formed of thin vinyl plasticmaterial may be used without any sacrifice of user comfort and that theuseful life of such pouches greatly exceeds the useful life of priorcomparable pouches. Here again the useful life of a pouch incorporatingthe present invention varies t-o la considerable degree depending uponthe care given the pouch and the body chemistry of the particular user.However, such pouches have a nor-mal use of between two and four weekswithout any discoloring and without any odor.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a novel andimproved fecal pouch which may be worn with comfort and used for anextended period of time without discoloration or odor.

3,385,298 Patented May 28, 1968 ICC It is another important object ofthis invention to provide a novel and improved fecal pouch provided witha double walled structure having a completely sealed air space betweenthe inner and outer walls of the pouch.

It is another important object of this invention to provide a novel 4andimproved fecal pouch which can be easily manufactured at a relativelylow cost and which will satisfactorily function for an extended periodof time.

Further objects and advantages will appear from the followingdescription and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a 'fecal pouch embodying the presentinvention mounted on a conventional supporting device and belt andillustrated as it is normally disposed about the patient.

FIGURE 2 is a front View of the pouch embodying the invention.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section through the pouch taken along 3 3 ofFIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawing, FIGURE .1 shows a flat fecal pouch 10employing the principles of the present invention and made of a suitableelastomeric material. The pouch is secured to the patient by means of asupporting device 30 secured within an inlet opening 17 (FIG. 2) formedin the upper portion of the pouch and a conventional belt 35 secured toa supporting device 30 by means of end loops 36. The supporting device30 is similar to that disclosed in my United States Letters Patent No.2,818,069 and includes ya body engaging plate 31 having astoma-receiving opening 32 formed therein. The lower end portion 14 ofthe pouch includes an outlet opening 16 ('FIG. 3) through which waste isremoved. This opening 16 is closed, when in use, by folding the lowerend portion 14 of the pouch back Ion itself and securing the fold by anysuitable clasp 40.

The pouch is emptied by removing the clasp 40 and may be flushed cleanby introducing water into the inlet opening 17. Cleaning of the pouch isfacilitated by making the inner and outer surfaces and edges of thepouch as smooth as possible thus avoiding any sedimentcatching crevices.

The inner and outer walls of both the front and back double-walledsections are preferably formed of a sheetlike elastomeric material of atype which is resistant t0 attack by acids of body perspiration and offecal matter contacting the same. In the preferred embodiment, the wallsare made of a vinyl plastic with the outer walls opaque. The inner wallsmay be made of a transparent or opaque vinyl plastic.

The pouch 10 is formed of a front double-Walled section 11 consisting ofan outer front wall 22 and an inner front wall 23, and a backdouble-walled section 12 consisting of an inner back wall 26 and anouter back wall 27. The marginal edge of all of the wall sections 22,23, 26 and 27, are sealed at 13 from the point 13a to the point 13bincluding both lengthwise marginal edges and the end 13e adjacent to theinlet opening 17.

The outlet 16 is provided by leaving the inner walls 23 and 26 unsealed`between the points 13a and 13b, as best illustrated in FIGURE 3. Theouter wall 22 and the inner wall 23 of the front wall section are sealedat 13d between the points 13a and 13b. Similarly, the inner back wall 26and the outer back wall 27 of the back wall section 12 are sealedbetween 13a and 13b, as illustrated at 13e, so that the inner and outerwalls of both the front and back sections 11 and 12 are sealed aroundthe opening 16.

The outer wall 22 and the inner wall 23 of the front double-walledsection 11 are sealed together at 18 around the inlet opening 17.Consequently, the inner and outer walls 22 and 23 of the frontdouble-walled section cooperate to define a completely sealed air space21 and the inner wall 26 and outer wall 27 of the back Wall section 12also cooperate to define a completely sealed air space 28. The two airspaces 21 and 28 cooperate to completely enclose the chamber 20excepting at the two openings 15 and 17. Any suitable method may beutilized to form the seals between the various sheets, however, heatsealing is preferred. The seal along the marginal edge 13 from 13aaround 13e to 13b is preferably formed as a single operation wherein allfour wall ele-ments are pressed together and simultaneously sealed andtrimmed. Similarly, the seal at 13d, 13e and 18 around the opening 17are preferably heat sealed in a similar manner.

In fecal pouches employing the principles of the present invention, amarked improvement has been observed. For example, pouches have beenformed from a sheet-like vinyl material using a wall thickness of .006inch and .O04 inch for the inner and outer walls respectively. It hasbeen found that such pouches have a useful life of from two to fourweeks as opposed to from one to three days with the single-walledpouches heretofore generally used and that the outer wall neverdiscolors. Thus, by employing the principles of the present invention,the useful life span of the fecal pouch has been extended by more thanthreefold over those heretofore available without sacriticing comfort.These advantages have been achieved with a structure which is economicalto manufacture.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated,it is to `be understood that various modifications and rearrangements ofparts may be restored to without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A exible double-walled fecal pouch comprising a flexible inner walldefining a chamber having an opening, a exible outer wall surroundingsaid inner wall and sealed to said inner wall around said opening, saidinner and outer walls being unconnected throughout the major portion oftheir extent and cooperating to define a sealed free space surroundingsaid chamber, said inner and outer walls both being formed of materialwhich tends to be permeated with fecal matter after a period of contacttherewith and also being substantially immune to rupture and leakage innormal use, said fecal matter permeating said inner wall to a locationadjacent its outer surface after a period of use, the outer surface ofsaid inner Wall preventing free passage of fecal matter from said innerwall even when the material of said inner wall is permeated with fecalmatter, said outer Wall being sufficiently impermeable to preventsubstantial odor for a substantial period even when said inner wall ispermeated with said fecal matter.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein a second opening is providedthrough said inner and outer walls, and said inner and outer walls aresealed around said second opening.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said inner and outer wallsdefine front and back double-walled sections sealed to each other alongtheir overlying marginal edges wherein the inner and outer walls of eachof said double-walled sections define a completely sealed spacetherebetween.

4. A fecal pouch comprising an oblong tiat expansible receptacle definedby a pair of front and back doublewall sections sealed to each otheralong the overlying marginal edges thereof with an -unsealed portionleft at one end defining an opening, said front and back doublewallsections defining therebetween a pouch-like chamber, each of saiddouble-wall sections having inner and outer walls of flexible sheet-likematerial sealed to each other along the entire overlying marginal edgesthereof completely scaling a free space therebetween, said inner andouter walls both being formed of material which tends to be permeatedwith fecal matter after a period of contact therewith and also beingsubstantially immune to rupture and leakage in normal use, said frontdoublewalled section having an aperture therethrough in a portionthereof spaced from said outlet opening and defining an inlet opening,said fecal matter permeating said inner wall to a location adjacent theouter surface thereof after a period of use, the outer surface of saidinner Wall preventing free passage of fecal matter from said inner walleven when the material of said inner wall is permeated with fecalmatter, said outer wall being sufficiently impermeable to preventsubstantial odor for a substantial period even when said inner wall ispermeated with said fecal matter.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein said inner and outer walls areformed of a vinyl material, the material of said inner wall having athickness of about .006 inch and the material of said outer wall beingopaque and having a thickness of about .004 inch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,818,069 12/1957 Fenton 128-2833,221,742 12/1965 Orowan 12S-283 3,285,497 11/ 1966 Stillman et al229-55 3,298,597 1/ 1967 Bellamy 128-275 3,122,297 2/ 1964 Sachs.

CHARLES F. ROSENBAUM, Primary Examiner.

